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Our Lady of the Angels (OLA) School Fire, December 1, 1958
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Personal Experiences with Our Lady of the Angels School Fire

If you have a personal experience, recollection or opinion about the December 1, 1958 Our Lady of the Angels school fire, whether you were present at the fire or not, you can relate it here. Any story or information is welcome as long as it relates to Our Lady of the Angels school fire.
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Posted by: First Grader On: 7/3/2004 ID: 188
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Melrose Park, IL
I was 6 years old in the first grade at the Sacred Heart Catholic grammar school in Melrose Park, IL, about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago, at the time of the Our Lady of the Angels fire. While the fire was in progress we were still in class and the nuns upon hearing the tragic news led us in prayer for the victims. Although I was very young and at age 6 without a full comprehension of death I vividly recall how upset the nuns were.

I was not aware of the existence of OLA school before the fire, and knew none of the victims, but I always felt for them because I felt connected with them as part of the same school system. We all wore uniforms then and if you look at Catholic school classroom photos from any such school in the Chicago area at the time they were almost always interchangeable. My school's classrooms, like those at OLA, were also hopelessly and unhealthily overcrowded with at times 50 or more kids to an undersized room. Today various board of health laws would probably forbid such crowding.

The Catholic education was a schoolastically good one, but I eventually felt its faith based belief system, which is belief without evidence, was of no value. By age 16 or so I became agnostic and have remained so until my present age of 51. It is curious how many people with backgrounds similar to mine either vigorously embraced the Catholic faith, or thoroughly rejected it. There are some in the middle ground catergory, but not many. At least that is my personal experience.


Posted by: Richard Widenski On: 6/30/2004 ID: 187
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I had just turned 9 years old and was attending the third grade at St. Stanislaus Catholic grade school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 1, 1958. The one thing that I have always remembered was how upset and saddened my parents were at the dinner table that night. I was too young to really comprehend the tragedy but I was old enough to notice my parent's sorrow and distress. I think, for them, the fire hit very close to home as my two brothers and I were attending a Catholic grade school that was also taught by nuns (School Sisters of Notre Dame). My mother is still living and whenever I talk to her about that evening, she always tells me of how she tried to imagine what the parents were going through that night.


Posted by: Finessa On: 6/23/2004 ID: 186
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Bridgeport
(Entry removed - please confine messages and discussions to the Message Board)


Posted by: Rosemarie (Saska) Hollingsworth On: 6/21/2004 ID: 185
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 8 3 107 Don't Remember
I remember it as a sunny winter day. I don’t remember it being particularly cold. It was probably around 40 or 50 by mid-afternoon. I felt so happy that morning because my Mom let me use her pretty scarf. It was white with a pink flower print. I just loved that scarf and felt so grown up that mom let me use it.

Our school belonged to the church. The main building of the school was a newer building. The other school building was the old church that had been converted to classrooms. The 2 buildings were connected in back by a hallway. In front, the old school still had a look of a church. There was a large 2 story iron gate that connected the church building to the newer school building. This created a large courtyard area between the school building and old church building that was closed off by the gate. Larry and I walked to school that morning like we always did. We lived 8 blocks from school. It usually took us about 15 or 20 minutes. The school day went like it always did. It was a Monday and we were getting ready for a full week of school. It was Dec 1, 1958 and we were also excited because Thanksgiving was over and we were looking forward to the upcoming Christmas Holidays. The day had gone like any other school day. In fact, I seem to remember that we had just finished our last lesson for the day. Our teacher was having us put our things away and we were ready to go row by row to get our coats and be dismissed from school. I was in the old church building on the first floor. Our classroom was next to the courtyard that was blocked by the iron gate. Larry’s classroom was in the new school building on the second floor. Larry was in the 6th grade and I was in 3rd grade. Anyway, I remember sitting at my desk and then the fire alarm went off. We all thought that it was a drill. We filed out just like we had done in our fire drills. We went out the classroom door, out the front door, across the street, to the corner, then turned around and faced the school. Now the realization came in. This wasn’t a drill. There was smoke coming out of the second floor of the old church building. There were fire engines and firemen coming. There were kids screaming from the second floor and there were firemen who couldn’t get through the iron gate. We just stood in our places on the corner. Finally, our teacher had us go across the street back to where the new school was, then down to the next street where the church was. As we passed the new school, smoke was coming out of windows and firemen were having children come down ladders to the street. All the children that escaped were taken to the church. They led us in prayer for everyone still in the school. We were then told to go home. I didn’t know where Larry was, but we found each other and started walking home on that winter day without our coats. About halfway home, a stranger stopped us asking us why we were walking around outside without our coats. We just stated that “Our school is on fire”. Larry and I got home and our Mom was about to yell at us for not wearing our coats until we told here about the school. Mom and Larry needed to go somewhere so I stayed home with my younger sister, Mary. I didn’t realize that the school fire had reached the news, but the phone started ringing. I didn’t know who the man was. But a frantic voice was at the other end asking if we were okay (Larry and me). I later learned that the voice belonged to my father. He was in the car when the news went on the radio that Our Lady of the Angels was on fire. He was in the middle of traffic and started speeding so that he could get to a phone. He told us that he got stopped by the police, but when he explained, the police officer let him go. The phone was ringing all night as friends and relatives heard the news and called to make sure that we were all right. School was cancelled for a week. Then we started to go to school half days. That first day back we were given school bags that we were told was donated to us by children in Arizona. I have often thought about the kindness from strangers across our country. I didn’t understand then how it was possible for so many to hear about our school fire. We would gather in the church chapel. We would line up by class and then get on a school bus and travel to another Catholic school. This school would dismiss their students at lunch time and we would have class in the afternoon. This happened until the Christmas break.

When classes started up in January, we didn’t go back to our previous class. We were now divided up based on where we lived and new classes were formed. Three public schools were being used. We used the third floor of the public school where Larry and I went. This happened for a year and a half. In the meantime, a new school was being built. I was in the fifth grade when we went back to the new school. Larry was in the eighth grade. We were excited to get to the new school. This one, we were told was built to be fireproof. As the years have gone by, I have always tried to stress to people the importance of our fire drills at work. Oddly enough, a little over 10 years ago, I was involved in another fire. This one was in our home. Our smoke detector sounded at about 12:30am. As my family evacuated from our home and the police and fire trucks arrived, I did think of that December day. This time it was the message of having home smoke detectors that went out to family and friends. When people found out that it was the smoke detector that saved us, they stated that they needed to get one or that they needed to make sure that the one they had was working. I think the school fire has always been with me. I sing in our choir and in preparing for Easter Vigil this year, we were singing the song “Let the Fire Fall” during the confirmation. I understand the symbolism is for the Holy Spirit. However, I had an extremely difficult time with this song because I do know what physically “letting the fire fall” can really do. Someone at work once stated that they thought when trauma happens to a child that the trauma is something that they block out and don’t remember. I told her that that wasn’t true. The vision of the fire remains with me. I don’t think that I will ever forget the sight in the courtyard; children screaming from windows and that closed iron gate. I don’t think I will ever forget the black smoke. Over the years, I’ve married (at Our Lady of the Angels). I’ve moved to another city and state. I’ve had children and grandchildren. Always though, OLA will remain a part of me.


Posted by: AURA On: 6/5/2004 ID: 184
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before South Side Chicago
We live in the OLA old neighborhood on Avers 1/2 block from the school. We feel that a priest should have performed some type of religious ceremony, because the neighorhood is still being haunted! One particular spirit haunts by family's home. she was approximately 11 years old. While I am a noted medium, still I find the host of departed spirits unhappy and ofcourse it is understood! So many lives were lost carelessly!
While I cannot dispute their haunting the location and surrounding neighborhood trying to fix what went wrong.
While we here on earth still pray for them and have them all in our hearts even today in the year 2004!
I feel a movie should be made about this tragedy, although I don't have means to fund it. But I suggested it to the
Catholic school board many years ago and they said they would let people film the area and the school ofcourse with a nice fat donation!. People need to know and see what happened and how it caused intelligent changes in fire safey in all the public and private institutions in the city of Chicago!


Posted by: Trudy On: 6/1/2004 ID: 183
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before The suburbs of Chicago
This tragedy had a deep affect on my life and thoughts. My mother was a school nurse in District 84, my dad worked for the Navy. We were very fire safety conscious at home. As a child myself in 1958 I identified with the children who attended OLA school even though I was miles away in the suburbs.

The event made me cry then, and it does even today. I just finished emailing a public information officer for our local fire department with whom I have had several such exchanges why I was so concerned about fire safety practices and challenges with communication presented by local news coverage. I live in an area of the country which is subject to wildfires and other hazards. I do what I can to prepare and eliminate risk. I mentioned this fire to him because it was a pivotal event in my life as a child.

I decided to see if there was any information on the fire and found this site. Tears are streaming down my face as I type. The children and the Nuns who became angels that day are in my prayers. In the past, their memory helped motivate me through nursing school and gave me heightened awareness about prevention. There is more, but words don't work for these thoughts. Their souls are woven into the tapestry of my life. I will never forget them.


Posted by: Joyce Peneschi On: 6/1/2004 ID: 182
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 10 4 107 Mrs. Kizor (substitute)
My experience of the School fire actually started about a month or so before the School fire for me.

It began with having bad dream's, they were nightmares for me. On this piticular night I dreamt that one of my girlfriend's from School died, (but I cannot mention her name because she was one of them who did die in the fire ) In that dream (I dont know how she died ) but I could see her Mother was very sad. That dream up set me so much that I woke up out of a sound sleep. My Mother who was still up asked me what I was doing awake ? I started crying and telling my Mother about my dream, my Mother did her best to try to console me, and calm me down to go back to sleep.

A few night's later I had another dream, this time it was another girlfriend that died, ( and I wont mention her name either) again I woke up crying, and told my Mother about my dream. Again Mom did her best to console me and calm me down enough to go back to sleep.

A week later I had another one of those dreams, of another girlfriend from School dying, and I woke up again from my sleep crying, and panic stricken, I was really up set !!! Again I told my Mother, and she tried to console me. She said to me that maybe God is telling you to be extra nice to these girls, and not to take their friendship for granite. So I thought about it for awhile, and that made sence to me, so I decided that I would make it a special point to spend as much time as I could playing with these girl's. With one of them, I spent all afternoon after School riding our bicycles, we had so much fun, untill my bicycle tire went flat. I was late getting home, my Mother was mad at me because I was late. I tried to explain to her that, That is what I had to do, in case my friend dies.

On another outing with a girlfriend we went roller skating all over the neighborhood, and had a great time. Again I was late getting home. And again trying to explain this to my Mother.

And another one of my girlfriends, I just stayed at her house playing with Doll's. Again I was late getting home, after 6 PM My Mother was really mad at me. I just couldnt seem to make my Mother understand what I had to do.

My Mother must have thought that I was crazy or something ? but she never made any comment about that.

Meanwhile my Grandmother tell's my Mother about the strange dream she had, a big building was on fire, Children were trapped and screaming, and there was alot of black smoke.

When the fire happened I was devistated to learn that these girlfriends, did die. I felt good in one way because I was able to spend some special time with each one of them.

I was grief stricken over their death, because I felt that maybe I could have done something to prevent it from happening because after all, I did dream about them dying. I could have warned them that something was going to happen, but I didnt know what was going to happen ? I did suffer alot of guilt about this, for many year's.

My Grandmother did not know her dream was the School on fire, untill after the fire.

Years later I learned that it was ESP that I had, and I really was not going crazy, and there was nothing that I could have done to prevent what had happened.

But today I can say that I am satisfied that I did get to spend some extra special time with my little girlfriends before God took them away from us. Even if I did get in trouble with my Mother for being late, it was worth it. Now My Mother understands what I was doing....... And she too is in Heaven with all our little Angels.


Posted by: Joyce Peneschi On: 5/31/2004 ID: 181
Enrolled on 12/1/58? Present on 12/1/58? Injured? Age Grade Classroom Teacher
Yes Yes No 10 4 107 Mrs. Kizior (substitute)
Om Monday morning December 1, st started out to be a good day. I was in the 4th grade, of a 3rd & 4th grade split classroom # 107 of the North Wing. There was about 14 of us 4th graders in that classroom. We had a substitute Teacher, Mrs Kizior because our regular Nun was out sick for some time. The Teacher told me that morning that, me and 6 other student's will be getting transfered to the other 4th grade classroom up stair's room 210, next Monday. And the other 4th graders would be transfered to the other 4th grade, in the other section. I was so happy because my two best girlfriends were in that classroom, Connie & Susan, we were playmates out of School. My Grandfather called us the Three Musketeers. The Teacher asked me to take the transfer paper's up stair's to room 210, to Sister Mary Seraphica's class. I walked up that old wooden stairway, (and down not realizing that later that afternoon it would be on fire) I gave the paper's to Sister, she said ok, see you next week, I went back down stair's to my classroom. I wanted to be transfered right then and there, I didnt want to wait untill next week, but Sister Mary Seraphia had to make room for us by adding another row and more desk's to her classroom. I couldnt wait to tell my Friend's that we would be together. I told Connie & Susan about the transfer when we walked home for lunch, they were happy too. After lunch we met again and walked back to School together, making plans as we always did to meet after School and walk home together. That afternoon some crazy thoughts were coming to me, and I began to feel uncomfortable. I had this feeling that I would not be going into Rm 210, something was going to happen to change all that, I said to my self what could possibly happen ? so I just put it off as over excitement on my part. I asked to go to the bathroom, and went to the Girl's bathroom in the basement (of the North Wing) for a short break, I liked that bathroom because it had long pipes, up above by the ceiling, I dont know what kind of pipes they were ? but we Girl's useto like to swing and hang on them (like monkey bars) we were always taking time out to go to that bathroom and play, if we were gone too long, our Teacher's would come looking for us. I thought that maybe a few swings would make these bad feeling's go away. I walked down that old wooden stairway (where the fire started, just a short time before.)There was just something about that wooden section, by the North Wing, and the wooden section of the main Entrance that I loved so much. When I went back to my classroom, it was getting close to the end of the day, so I hurried up with doing my assignments, I finished up early and turned my papers in to the Teacher. I sat at my desk quietly fumbling around cleaning out my desk, then I just sat there watching everyone else finishing up their work, I kept looking at the clock, time was going by so slow, from 2:30 to 2:45 seemed so long. I couldnt wait to get out of School, because I was still feeling uncomfortable, I dont know why ? and I did not like that. I went to the back of the room to sharpen some of my pencils, to kill more time, then funbled with my desk again. When all of a sudden the fire alarm bell rang...........When the fire alarm rang, I looked at the clock, I said to my self that's a strange time to have a fire drill ? The first row of students by the window, were already getting their coat's from the coat room, I was in the last row by the door, (to get coats) but first row to leave the classroom, and in this case for fire drill. But I did not leave my classroom in a single file like I was suposeto, I had to do more fumbling at my desk, as the other's were leaving. The Teacher kept saying to us hurry, hurry , fire drill. We had a standing order in all our classrooms during a fire drill, last person to leave must close the door !! Pokey me was last to leave my classroom, I closed the door, but I turned around and went back to my desk, because I left my new wallet, I had this feeling that if I dont take it now , I'll never get it. I left my classroom and again I closed the door. There was nobody in the hall, or corridor as we called it. I just had this strange feeling that I would never again be in that School, so with that feeling instead of walking to the out door, I took my time walking and looking through the windows of the other classroom's of that first floor. I looked into my Brother's classroom they were gone, everyone was gone. I walked to the back, by the stairway, it was dark, but that section was always dark, I saw black smoke in the stairway, I got scared, my School was on fire !!!!! my legs began to shake, they felt like rubber, I couldnt walk, but I tried to run, and tripped. I was so shook up. But I was the very last person to leave that first floor North Wing. When I pushed the door to go out side I saw many people across the street looking up, the fire dept. was not there yet, but I heard their sirens coming down Avers Ave. I'm slowly walking on the School side of the street, trying to look up at the building, black smoke was coming out from all the windows, the fireman couldnt work fast enough to get all their hoses stretched out, I could hear Kid's screaming, thats when I realized that not all our kids got out of the building. I said to my self "MY GOd WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE ? " I walked over to the alley side, and saw my Friends jumping out of the windows on fire, crashing on to the cement, breaking their bones. The fireman had one net, they were running back and forth trying to catch the jumping children, neighbors had blankets trying to catch children, the ladders were not tall enough to reach the 2nd floor, the screams of the children, screaming for help. More fire truck sirens coming, but the street is full of people, people every where, everything was going so fast, the black smoke was getting blacker, it looked like it was getting dark out side. By the alley Candy Store there was injured children sitting on the concrete, leaning on the wall of the brick candy store building, I did not recognize any of them, some were black from smoke, some were burned , and some were bloody, face hands and arms. They were waiting for ambulances to pick them up. The ambulances would come, load up and go, and another would come. The noise of all the sirens, up set me,( and still botheres me till this day )The sounds of the screaming Children, (at times I still hear it in my sleep) Fireman were carring children, I didnt know if they were dead or alive ? these lifeless Children all black from smoke. This was unreal !!! I was so worried about all the Children trapped on that second floor. I prayed that they would all get out. I couldnt watch any more ,I walked to the other corner of Avers and Iowa St. I was not prepared for what I was about to see, the dead bodies were covered up and lined up, waiting to be picked up by ambulance, there were so many dead Children, I couldnt stop crying. The ambulance people were loading up the dead bodies as fast as they could. I got angry because those people were handling those dead Children, like sacks of potatoes, I just had to go over there and tell them people. please be gentle with my little friends. They said the roof collapsed on the second floor, now the fireman have to dig for the Children. I was in shock, I couldnt beleive that this was really happening. I saw some parents of friends looking for their Children, everyone was going crazy. The TV news people were there, trying to talk to survivors, we stuck out like sore thumbs in our School uniforms. I was not talking to anyone, I did listen to some of the questions they were asking. These news people ask some dumb questions. We didnt know any more then they did about the fire, but some of the kids wanted to be on TV. I walked back to the other side of the School by the alley, and watched everything that was going on. (when I close my eyes and think about it, it's like a video recording that plays over & over, and I hear all the sounds, and it never goes away.) It was starting to get dark out side, they havent found all the Children some are still missing. I just couldnt go home yet, I felt that I cannot leave untill they find all the Children, I wont be able to sleep not knowing that all the Children didnt get out. But it was getting late, and dark out, if I dont get home I'll be in big trouble, I gotta be home before my Mom gets home from work. It was about 5:30 pm when I went home, Mom got home about 6:pm. I wanted to watch the TV news, Mom said NO !! !!! But Mom didnt know that I stayed there all afternoon watching everything, she thought watching the news would cause me emotional trauma ! I couldnt talk about it, to tell her that I need to watch the news, I need to know who did not make it. But I just could not talk about it. I was like a zombie. We lived in a 3 story building on Hamlin Ave, top floor. After my bath to get all the smoke smell off me, I couldnt eat dinner, or go to sleep, or watch TV, I sat at the kitchen table by the window, just looking toward the School, there was a shroud of black smoke lingering over the School all night, I was worried about all the Children who didnt get out yet, by now they must be dead. I hated that word dead & dying I was afraid of dying, death & dying gave me the creeps. Where do we rally go when we die ? Now some of my Friends are dead, I dont think that I can handle that ? They are too young to die. In my Childs mind I prayed to God to please bring them back, I beleived that God could do anything, even bring them back. I could not go to sleep that night, (and many many nights after that)I could not close my eyes everytime I did , I would see the fire over, and over. I couldnt go to bed because that ment time to go to sleep, and close my eyes. So I started falling asleep any where but in my bed.
And when I did fall asleep, I would deam about the fire, my Mom told me that I would talk in my sleep, cry in my sleep, and scream in my sleep. The things that I could not talk about by day, would come out at night in my sleep. My Mom tried asking me questions about the fire, but soon realized that I could not talk about it, to anyone. She would find out information from me when I talked in my sleep. I resented the fact that my Mom would not let me watch the TV news, or read the newspaper in the days following the fire. For one thing I did not know any of the names of the dead Children. The next day and everyday, I walked to see what was left of my School, I was not the only survivor visiting there, one of my friends happen to be there, the first thing I wanted to ask him was how is youre Brother ? and did he make it out ok ? I was afraid to ask ? I couldnt say I'm sorry, because I didnt know. That left me in a awful situation. News stands were always sold out of newspapers, so I couldnt even buy any. My Mom would not allow me to go to any of the Wakes at the funeral parlor's. But when I learned that my best friend Susan Smaldone died on Dec 23, 1958 I begged my Grandmother to take me to Lupo Funeral Parlor, on Chicago Ave. to see Susie. We went against my Mom's orders, Grandma and I walked to Lupo's Funeral Parlor, Susie had a closed Coffin, she was burned very bad 85% of her body. God saved her from a life time of pain & suffering, and a lifetime of people making fun of her. Susie was a beautiful girl. As with so many of our girls who lost their faces from the fire. This was a tradgy that didnt have to happen, it ruined many lives, and it makes me angry because it was arson.


Posted by: Kathy Murphy(Golden) On: 5/27/2004 ID: 180
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Austin district St Lucy's school area
I lived in the Austin district and was going to St Lucy school at the time. There was a barber that was across from the town hall that was at Central and Lake st, He lost his twin girls in the fire. I remember also my parents saying that some of the girls were identified by the underwear that they were wearing had the days of the week on them, I am not sure if they were talking about his girls and I am pretty sure they were but not positive anymore since my mother just passed away to ask her. I was in first grade at St Lucy at the time but the nightmare of it all comes back to me.I remember how tragic to this day I will never forget.I would love to hear from anyone that was living around there at the time and had gone to St Lucy. my email address is kgolden@hotmail.com


Posted by: Sandy Mendyk On: 5/11/2004 ID: 179
At OLA on 12/1/58? Born before or after 12/1/58? Where Lived on 12/1/58?
No Before Ansonia, Conn.
I was a high school student in Ansonia at the time of the OLA fire. When I got home and heard about the fire on the news, I was devastated and scared. My brother and sister were both attending a Catholic school walking distance from our house, and for the next few weeks I personally picked them up from school after dismissal at my high school. I was just frightened that something like this can happen to their school. Today I'm a Catholic school teacher in an old school building built around 1936 and in back of mind I keep thinking of the OLA fire and what if it happens at our school. I always keep thinking of what I would do for the children if it did happen. I tell my students every year about the fire and how brave those nuns were and how terrible those children suffered. We also say prayers occasionally for those who died and for those who still suffer today. Although I never lived in Chicago and was there, I have a horrible fear of fire since that fire. My prayers, and my students' prayers are still with all who were involved in that awful disaster. God bless you all!